TSA scanner costs to be probed

A top Republican lawmaker wants to know just how much the government spent on the dozens of TSA screening machines that will be yanked out of airports.

House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) said in an interview that he wants to hold a hearing to determine the cost to taxpayers after last week’s decision to pull 174 Rapiscan “back-scatter” machines that produce near-naked images of passengers.

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The TSA has said it made that decision to remove those scanners after it became clear the manufacturer would not meet a congressional deadline to install privacy software to produce less-revealing body images.

McCaul said he spoke to TSA Administrator John Pistole on Sunday and commended him for moving to replace the machines with “millimeter wave” scanners, which McCaul said emit less radiation and are a good thing for privacy but “a bad thing in terms of waste of money.”

“I want to have a hearing on, OK, how much did this mistake cost us?” he said. “Those machines are pretty expensive. I don’t have a figure yet.”

But he plans to get one. McCaul said failed technology purchased by the TSA stems from a convoluted contracting system that he called “flawed” and “siloed.”

“We need to fix it,” McCaul said.

A TSA spokesman said the agency has committed $40 million for 250 Rapiscan machines, including $5.2 million for the privacy software.

“The government has received a return on its capital investment with Rapiscan. Over 130 million passengers have been effectively screened by Rapiscan backscatter AIT at a cost of thirty cents per passenger screened,” the spokesman added.

The TSA says the machines “will be removed by Rapiscan at their expense.” And they may yet find a second life: TSA and Rapiscan are checking in with other federal agencies to see if there is interest in using the machines for a different security mission.

In addition to looking for wasteful spending, McCaul’s other priority is pushing expansion of PreCheck. The expedited passenger screening program has been rolled out at dozens of large airports, but McCaul said he has told Pistole that TSA needs to push a more flier-friendly screening process nationwide.

“It’ll almost be like before 9/11. You don't have to take your shoes off,” McCaul said. “I’m really pressuring him to implement that program as fast as he can all over the country.”

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 5:34 p.m. on January 22, 2013.